Showing posts with label Decadent Desserts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Decadent Desserts. Show all posts
One favorite thing that I became very fond of in the UK was Bakewell Tarts. They are a real British favorite teatime treat, and they come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
You can get individual tarts such as I have baked here, slices, and full sized tarts.
The Bakewell Tart is a popular treat in the UK, name after the Derbyshire town of Bakewell. It consists of a pastry case filled with a layer of jam, frangipane, and then topped with flaked almonds and/or a glacé icing and glacé cherry.
Bakewell Tart (s) are actually a variation on the original Bakewell Pudding, which was created in the town of Bakewell, which is in Derbyshire in the U.K.
It is said that Mrs. Greaves, who was the landlady of the White Horse Inn, left instructions to her cook to make a jam tart.
Instead of stirring the almond paste and eggs into the pastry as instructed, the cook spread the mixture on top of the tart. When cooked, it set like an egg custard. The resulting pudding proved to be very popular with visitors to the inn.
In later years, the egg custard was replaced with an Italian frangipane filling, composed of ground almonds, eggs, butter and sugar. The tart was often topped with flaked almonds and a glace cherry.
You will most often in the UK see the tarts in the shops topped with a glaze of almond flavored icing and a cherry.
These tarts which I am sharing with you today are a variation on all of that. They have a sweet jam filling and are topped with an almond frangipane, flaked almonds, an almond drizzle glaze and a glace cherry. And they are delicious!
Not only that, but they are very quick and easy to make, especially if you use frozen tart shells, which I did today.
You can of course make your pastry from scratch, but if you are in a hurry and want a treat fast the frozen tart shells are the way to go!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE EASY BAKEWELL TARTS
Nothing outrageously out of the ordinary. Simple ingredients done really well.
- 12 frozen tart shells, thawed
- 4 TBS strawberry jam
- 3/4 cup (170g) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
- 1 cup + 3 TBS (100g) ground almonds
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 large free range egg
- 4 TBS flaked almonds to sprinkle
To finish (optional)
- 1/2 cup (65g) icing sugar
- few drops almond extract and a bit of water
- 6 glace cherries, washed, dried and halved
.JPG "Easy Bakewell Tarts")
I used the Tenderflake brand of tart shells that I had in the freezer. I have used them before and they are excellent.
You will see that it also calls for sweetened condensed milk. Do not confuse this with evaporated milk. They are not the same thing at all.
One (evaporated) is simply milk which has been heat treated to have a lot of the water removed. The other (sweetened condensed) has been treated to have water removed but has also been cooked with sugar to make a sweet thick product that is excellent in desserts.
.JPG "Easy Bakewell Tarts")
I get my ground almonds from Costco. What you want is ground almonds that have not been ground with the skins.
I also get my flaked almonds from Costco. Again, they have no skins on them.
I opted to add the optional glaze and of course the glace cherry on top. Don't worry if you can't get glace cherries, you could use maraschino cherries that have been rinsed and dried really well if you want, or you can leave them off entirely.
.JPG "Easy Bakewell Tarts")
HOW TO MAKE EASY BAKEWELL TARTS
I like to prebake my tart shells for five minutes to set them. There are no soggy bottoms here!!! My sister and I will sometimes pick up tarts at the local Foodland shop and I have to tell you we are ALWAYS disappointed.
The bottoms are always soggy. It never fails. it is such a simple thing to just pre-bake your shells for five minutes. It really does prevent this from happening.
.JPG "Easy Bakewell Tarts")
Preheat the oven to 350*C/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line a baking tray with some foil for ease of cleaning in case of any spill-overs.
Whisk the condensed milk, almonds, egg and almond essence together until smooth. Place the thawed tart shells on the baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for five minutes. Remove.
Spoon 1 tsp of jam in the bottom of each tart shell. Divide the almond mixture between the tarts, covering the jam in the bottom of each shell. Sprinkle the flaked almonds on top.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 to18 minutes until just starting to brown.
.JPG "Easy Bakewell Tarts")
Remove and allow to cool. Whisk the icing sugar together with some almond extract and just enough water to make a thick drizzle icing.
Flick this icing over top of of the tarts and place a cherry half on top of each. Leave until set to serve.
.JPG "Easy Bakewell Tarts")
If you are a fan of Bakewell goods like I am then you may also be interested in my other Bakewell recipes on here. Every one of them delicious!
Bakewell Slices - very similar except they are baked in a tray bake tin and cut into fingers to serve. Fabulously tasty!
Bakewell Tart Muffins - almond flavored muffins with a lush jam filling, an icing glaze and a cherry on top! Delicious!
Bakewell Whoopie Pies - two almond flavored cake like cookies, sandwiched together with jam and then sweetly glazed and topped with flaked almonds. Simply wonderful!!!
I have to say I was never overly fond of the ones in the shops. Not enough filling and far too sweet. These delicious tarts are a perfect balance of sweetness and are very generously filled.
Quick and easy to make as well. They are a real favorite with me!
.JPG "Easy Bakewell Tarts")
The recipe does make 12 tarts. I am sharing them with my sister. My dad is coming to pick them up before he goes there for supper tonight. I am only keeping a few for myself.
These are fabulously tasty. I think you best prepare yourself to discover a new addiction! If you are a fan of jam tarts and of almonds, then you are going to be a real fan of these!! Enjoy!!
Easy Bakewell Tarts
Yield: 12
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 23 MinTotal time: 33 Min
An easy version of one of Great Britain's favorite Teatime treats! You can make your own pastry if you wish, but good ready made frozen tart shells work quite well and make baking these a breeze!
Ingredients
- 12 frozen tart shells, thawed
- 4 TBS strawberry jam
- 3/4 cup (170g) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
- 1 cup + 3 TBS (100g) ground almonds
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 large free range egg
- 4 TBS flaked almonds to sprinkle
To finish (optional)
- 1/2 cup (65g) icing sugar
- few drops almond extract and a bit of water
- 6 glace cherries, washed, dried and halved
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*C/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line a baking tray with some foil for ease of cleaning in case of any spill-overs.
- Whisk the condensed milk, almonds, egg and almond essence together until smooth.
- Place the thawed tart shells on the baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for five minutes. Remove.
- Spoon 1 tsp of jam in the bottom of each tart shell. Divide the almond mixture between the tarts, covering the jam in the bottom of each shell. Sprinkle the flaked almonds on top.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 to18 minutes until just starting to brown.
- Remove and allow to cool.
- Whisk the icing sugar together with some almond extract and just enough water to make a thick drizzle icing. Flick this over top of of the tarts and place a cherry half on top of each.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: theenglishkitchen@mail.com
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I think you would have to really search to find a person who is not fond of donuts. I think you would have to really search to find a person who is not fond of cake. Combine the two and you have a donut cake recipe that people are sure to fall in love with!
In my opinion, not all donuts are alike. I have a certain fondness in my heart for cake donuts. Unlike yeast raised donuts, these delicious treats require no proofing or raising time period and are leavened by the use of baking powder, baking soda, or both!
This spice pound cake recipe I am sharing with you today is very similar in both cake and texture to a cake donut and be warned . . . you just may fall in love with it!
When I was growing up, occasionally, my mother would pick up a bag of cake donuts for us to enjoy at home. She would usually get the plain ones. They were always a real treat.
Mom would pop them into a paper bag and gently reheat them in a low oven. Oh boy, but did they ever taste some good!!!
Filled with the scent and taste of grated nutmeg and vanilla, she would often serve them to us with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
You haven't tasted delicious until you have tasted a warm cake donut served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side!
This delicious Bundt cake not only tastes like a cake donut, but it also looks like a cake donut, albeit a rather large one!
It also has a beautiful pound-cake-like texture that I find to be quite, quite addictive. You cut yourself a piece to enjoy and when its gone you can't resist cutting yourself just another tiny sliver because it is just so darned delicious!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BUTTERMILK DONUT CAKE
Simple kitchen ingredients that most of us always have on hand. Don't worry if you haven't got any buttermilk. I know two great substitutions for it!
- 1 1/2 (300g) sugar
- 1 cup (225g) butter, at room temperature
- 4 large free range eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups (490g) plain all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
To glaze:
- 1 cup (130g) icing sugar, sifted
- 2 TBS water
Generally speaking I like to grate my own nutmeg when baking. You never know how old the nutmeg is in that jar of ground nutmeg you are buying.
Unless you use an awful lot of nutmeg in your baking, it is much better, not to mention fresher to grate your own. I think my mother must have had nutmeg in her spice cupboard that was at least 10 years old. Not good at all.
There are two ways of replicating buttermilk and both work fine. First you can add a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to a measuring cup and stir in your milk. Leave it to clabber for about 10 minutes.
This works best with whole milk and I'll be honest here, unless a recipe specifically calls for low fat milk I always use whole milk in baking.
Second you can whisk together full fat Greek Yogurt and whole milk in equal parts, which for this recipe would mean a half a cup of each.
Just whisk it together and use as you would the buttermilk. You will never note a difference. Works like a charm.
HOW TO MAKE BUTTERMILK DONUT CAKE
This is a very easy to cake to make, but do note that you will get the best results by using a heavy duty stand mixer or a very powerful hand mixer. The dough is quite sturdy and a weak mixer just won't cut the mustard.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/1180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 10 cup Bundt pan really well. Set aside.
Sift the flour, baking powder, soda, salt and nutmeg into a bowl. Set aside.
Place the butter and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat with the paddle on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating until thoroughly combined.(If the batter looks like it is splitting, beat in 1 TBS of the flour mixture.) Beat in the vanilla just to combine.
With the mixer on low speed add the flour alternately with the buttermilk, making three dry and two wet additions, beginning and ending with flour. (Just to combine, do not over beat or you will have a tough cake.)
Spoon the batter into the prepared Bundt pan, smoothing over the top. Tap on the counter several times to release any air bubbles.
Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place the tin on a cooling rack and leave for 15 minutes.
Invert the cake onto the cooling rack, releasing it from the tin, and then carefully flip it so that the cracked side is on the top. Leave to cool completely.
Whisk the icing sugar and water together until smooth. Spread over the top of the cake allowing some of it to drizzle down the sized. Leave to set before cutting.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
I think I might enjoy a slice of it with a scoop of ice cream for my supper tonight. (Don't judge me, lol, I know I am pretty naughty!)
My sister stopped by with some mail for me this afternoon and left with four slices! (And a tiny taster first!) Yes, it is that good. The simple things in life, they truly are the best!
Buttermilk Donut Cake
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 50 MinTotal time: 1 H & 5 M
If your favorite donut is the cake donut, then prepare to fall in love with this simple pound cake. It tastes just like a cake donut!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 (300g) sugar
- 1 cup (225g) butter, at room temperature
- 4 large free range eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups (490g) plain all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
To glaze:
- 1 cup (130g) icing sugar, sifted
- 2 TBS water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/1180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 10 cup Bundt pan really well. Set aside.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, soda, salt and nutmeg into a bowl. Set aside.
- Place the butter and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat with the paddle on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating until thoroughly combined.(If the batter looks like it is splitting, beat in 1 TBS of the flour mixture.) Beat in the vanilla just to combine.
- With the mixer on low speed add the flour alternately with the buttermilk, making three dry and two wet additions, beginning and ending with flour. (Just to combine, do not over beat or you will have a tough cake.)
- Spoon the batter into the prepared Bundt pan, smoothing over the top. Tap on the counter several times to release any air bubbles.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place the tin on a cooling rack and leave for 15 minutes.
- Invert the cake onto the cooling rack and then carefully flip it so that the cracked side is on the top. Leave to cool completely.
- Whisk the icing sugar and water together until smooth. Spread over the top of the cake allowing some of it to drizzle down the sized. Leave to set before cutting.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
All of the content you see on this page (both photographic and written) is the express property of The English Kitchen (Marie Rayner). Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
Thank you for visiting! Do come again!
Several years ago, when I was living in the UK, I had the opportunity to visit the Mornflake Oats factory in Crewe in Cheshire. It was a fascinating day that began with a lovely meal enjoyed out in the middle of an oat field, culminating in a tour of their factory and a question/answer period with the owners.
I love learning about the food we eat and its provenance. I find it fascinating.
I remember being told on the day that all oats were naturally gluten free, but in order to be designated and packaged at gluten free they had to be grown on a special farm that was in a gluten free area. Theirs was up on an island in the North of Scotland.
Due to my digestive problems I am having to stay away from gluten and dairy for a month or so to let my gut settle. Then I can slowly start to introduce some things back into my diet so that I can discover my triggers.
By all means it is not just dairy and gluten I need to avoid, there is a whole list of things, like onions, garlic, legumes, etc. Not fun!!
You could use a dairy free alternative for the butter in the recipe if you wished. Coconut oil would be nice. In that case the crumble itself would be considered vegan. (Without the cream, ice cream, custard, etc.)
I have to say I have never been a huge fan of gluten free products. Sadly, they never quite come up to the tastiness of the original. I have yet to taste a manufactured loaf of gluten free bread that I enjoyed, and I bought some crackers the other day that were lovely and crisp and which looked for all the world like crackers.
Unfortunately in the mouth they felt and tasted like wall paper paste. Not nice at all. And they were not a cheap brand, but a well known Gluten Free brand.
I picked up some gluten free flour to use in baking which measures 1:1. It is the Bob's Red Mill brand. It was not cheap. That's the thing with specialized ingredients like this, you pay through the nose for them.
At over $8 for a very tiny bag I am loathe to waste it. I found a Gluten-Free Apple Crisp recipe here on a blog called Thriving Gluten Free. It looked and sounded quite good.
I adapted it to make a much smaller portion, so that it feeds only three instead of six. I also adapted it to use Swerve Brown Sugar sugar replacement. I am a Diabetic also and am trying to watch my sugars and carbs a bit better.
The servings are not huge, but I found them to be quite sufficient. Large enough for me to be able to enjoy a bit of a treat, but not large enough to regret later on. I found them to be just right.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE GLUTEN FREE APPLE CRISP
Very simple ingredients really.
For the filling:
- 3 apples, peeled and thinly sliced (I recommend Granny Smith)
- 1 TBS brown sugar, packed (Or Swerve Brown Sugar)
- 1/2 TBS lemon juice
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 TBS cornstarch (corn flour in the UK)
For the crumble topping:
- 1/2 cup (40g) gluten-free oats
- 1/3 cup (50g) gluten free 1:1 flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
- 1/4 cup (60g) butter, cubed and softened
- 2 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed (I used Swerve Brown sugar)
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch salt
For desserts like this I like to use Granny Smith apples. They are just tart enough but not overly so. You can still eat them out of hand raw, so they are a nice balance of sweet and tart.
I have been using the Swerve sugar replacements in most of my desserts and baking now. It measures one for one like sugar and is made of completely natural ingredients. No artificial ingredients at all. My sister is using it in her Keto creations also.
HOW TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE APPLE CRISP
Its not really all that hard to make and goes together very quickly. You will need a small baking dish. I used a ceramic casserole that is about 3 inches by 7 inches in size. You could also use a small Pyrex casserole dish.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 3 1/2 by 7 inch baking dish, or small round casserole dish.
Stir the apple slices, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch together in a bowl. Pour into the baking dish and level off.
Toss the oats and flour for the crumble topping in a bowl along with the brown sugar and salt. Add the butter and cut it in until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle this evenly over top of the apples.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.
Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream, whipped cream, custard or pouring cream.
I enjoyed mine with two cookie scoops of lactose free ice cream and it was just right. It made for a little treat for me on a dull rainy day when I was wanting to treat myself to something special.
In the pictures it looks like a lot more. The eyes can be very deceiving. That dish is only about 2 1/2 inches across, and an inch and a half deep.
It was the right amount for me.
It was actually very good. I quite enjoyed this little treat! If you are wanting the full recipe which serves six, do check out the link above!
Gluten Free Apple Crisp (small batch)
Yield: 3
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 45 Min
A old-time classic, redone so that anyone can enjoy it. Tender pieces of spiced apple covered in an oaty crumble. Delicious!
Ingredients
For the apple filling:
- 3 apples, peeled and thinly sliced (I recommend Granny Smith)
- 1 TBS brown sugar, packed (Or Swerve Brown Sugar)
- 1/2 TBS lemon juice
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 TBS cornstarch (corn flour in the UK)
For the Crumble Topping:
- 1/2 cup (40g) gluten-free oats
- 1/3 cup (50g) gluten free 1:1 flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
- 1/4 cup (60g) butter, cubed and softened
- 2 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed (I used Swerve Brown sugar)
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 3 1/2 by 7 inch baking dish, or small round casserole dish.
- Stir the apple slices, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch together in a bowl. Pour into the baking dish and level off.
- Toss the oats and flour for the crumble topping in a bowl along with the brown sugar and salt. Add the butter and cut it in until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle this evenly over top of the apples.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.
- Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream, whipped cream, custard or pouring cream.
Thank you so much for visiting! Do come again!
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